INTRODUCTION. XXXV 



Eobert Morison, an Aberdonian and one 

 of Nature's botanists, was the first who 

 began to tread In the steps of C^esalpinus, 

 He was Professor of Botany at Oxfoixl. His 

 Historia Planianim was left unfinished 

 at his death in 1683. Contemporary with 

 hira was that admirable naturalist John 

 RaVj an Essex man, who was independently 

 endeavouring to classify according to the 

 fruit. At length came the great Tourne- 

 fort, whom we may call the botanical dic- 

 tator of the early part of the eighteenth 

 century. He was appointed Professor of 

 Botany at the Jardin du Roi in Paris 

 in 1683, and he published in 1700 his 

 Institutio Rei Herbariae. 



The botanical mind had now distinctly 

 set in the direction of systematic classifica- 

 tion, but it had not yet clearly distinguished 

 the particular advantages which were to 

 be attained by such an arrangement. For 

 there were two ends to their pursuits, 

 widely difi^ering indeed from each other 

 both in their nature and in their magnitude, 

 but such that it was absolutely necessary 

 for the lesser to be attained in order to 



